Fort Indiantown Gap is located in Annville, Lebanon County in Pennsylvania. It’s a small military town that’s home to Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, the Pennsylvania National Guard Training Center, the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum, Muir Army Airfield, and Memorial Lake State Park.
We decided to drive the 23 miles up to Fort Indiantown Gap for a little day trip and had a really good time. All of the activities that we participated in were FREE. Yes, FREE!
First up was our visit to Indiantown Gap National Cemetery to visit my brother-in-laws grave. He passed away last September and was buried with full military honors. He was a retired marine. The cemetery is beautiful…just gorgeous! Very serene and peaceful. A beautiful final resting place for our nation’s veterans and heroes.
When you enter the cemetery you’ll drive down a road that is lined on both sides with the American flag. There are thousands of American flags throughout the cemetery. When visiting you’ll want to wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of outdoor walking.
As you stroll along the grounds you can check out their veteran memorials, water fountains, meditation pools, sit on a park bench, etc. During the autumn season you’ll be surrounded with colorful fall foliage. Visiting the cemetery is a great way to honor our veterans and to pay our respects.
Next was lunch at a local restaurant called Funck’s Restaurant that sits right off of Interstate 81. They’re a family restaurant that offers classic American cuisine. I enjoyed coconut shrimp, French fries & cole slaw while my husband enjoyed their all-you-can-eat fish special. Everything was delicious and affordable!
We headed down Fisher Avenue to check out some of the military airplanes, tanks, howitzers and helicopters that they have on display. These exhibits are part of the Pennsylvania National Guard Museum. You’ll want to park in the designated parking lot. Every military item that is on display has a information plaque in front of it giving you more information about it. You’re permitted to take photographs but you can’t climb on the exhibits.
Up on the hill you’ll find the Muir Army Airfield which is closed to the public. There’s a tall fence that entirely surrounds the property. However, they do have an area with park benches where you can sit down and watch the helicopters and planes takeoff and land. It was pretty cool to see.
Like most small towns across American, Fort Indiantown Gap has their own water tower. If you look at the photo you can see some of the military barracks and housing located nearby. We like to do waymarking, so we’re always photographing water towers when we see them.
We spent 5 1/2 hours exploring Fort Indiantown Gap and had a really nice time. It’s always fun to jump in the car and go road-tripping through your own state. Pennsylvania is such a fun state to explore. Hope you enjoy the photos!
The cemetery does look lovely and it would be fun to see all the different military vehicles.
This looks like a lovely town to visit and spend a relaxing day. It’s nice that there are some interesting free activities to enjoy.
This looks like a wonderful place to visit, pay honor and learn some things along the way. We would enjoy this.
The cemetery looks like a beautiful spot to honor veterans especially with the flags lining the sides as you enter. The military planes would be interesting to see and read about.
I hadn’t heard of this place but it’s the type of spot I like visiting. It’s low-key, not too crowded and you see interesting things and learn something.